Neighbour Note Guitar Teacher Oscar Rangel Celebrates 10 Years of Operus

Toronto based composer, songwriter, guitarist and guitar teacher Oscar Rangel has been teaching with Neighbour Note for over ten years now. Oscar has been a huge part of the Neighbour Note team and this month Oscar is sharing with us a little bit about his band Operus. Here is what Oscar has to say about his band Operus: 

Ten years ago, what began as my own dream during my university days, has now been real for a decade. I started dreaming about this when I lived in Mexico, where I first fell in love with music, and while I was playing with my first musical love and project: Adlivitum. Even then, I was dreaming and taking the first steps to go on to create what is now Operus. 

It took a few years of finding the right people to call partners in this adventure, and when I finally did everything started to take shape, and we were ready for what has been this still ongoing decade long quest. 

Since we started, it has been a wild ride. We have faced everything from line-up changes during the production of our first full length studio album, to unexpectedly having to be the acting management to ourselves on tours out of necessity and because the circumstances changed abruptly— being sleep-deprived, we have found ourselves running between cities, barely catching flights, and playing gigs with barely a moment to breathe. The pandemic forced us to cancel shows last minute while on tour in a different country without being able to explain to our fans exactly what was happening since no one really understood much about it at that time. 

But for all the challenges, the highs have been just as intense. Playing at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany was unreal—a dream come true for any metal band, as this is considered the holy land for metal heads around the globe. We've headlined tours abroad, produced albums, shot music videos, and held press tours. Meeting some of the heroes we grew up listening to. All of this has shown us how small the world really is when you’re living your dream. 

Over these ten years, we've shared stages with legends such as — System of a Down, Slayer, Rob Zombie, Lamb of God, Sonata Arctica, Rhapsody, Danzig, Carcass, Alice in Chains, Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, Anthrax, Testament, The Used— to name just a few. Learning from bands we grew up admiring has been a massive part of our journey. And having the opportunity to share special moments and conversations with people that have been part of the musical industry internationally for so long has been a highlight on a personal level. 

Ten years working on one project are not easy to sustain, but the love for the art of music makes it worthwhile. As it does the chase for the next magical moment on the stage sharing our art with the audience; that ephemeral moment during a live performance that will never exist again, and the reward of an applause (and in this case some screams of people holding their hands in the air giving you the horns up - the international metal head sign of approval). 

So, here’s to pushing forward, to the next ten years and beyond. As long as we’re here, we’re ready to rock every stage we set foot on, chasing the next unforgettable moment.